A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

Salt Lake City’s airport is the location of a TSA experiment to speed up security checks and it appears to be working well and may be instituted in other airports.

Travelers in Salt Lake are separated into three groups, depending on the number of carry-on bags, whether they’re with children and other factors.

It is being done to separate those carrying a number of bags and those with children and strollers from those who can move quickly through the lines. The most likely airport to start the new system is the Denver airport.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The Department of Homeland Security is placing anti-missile systems on several passenger planes flying in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport.

The program will test to see if the anti-missile systems are effective in helping prevent a terrorist from using a shoulder-fired missile to shoot down a passenger jet. Three of the anti-missile systems will be placed on American Airlines flights flying between JFK and airports in California, officials said.

Military jets have the equipment and there were recent tests on non-passenger cargo flights.

The anti-missile system are attached underneath the aircraft and have a jamming technology that causes heat seeking missiles to go off course.

The program has been instituted because the FBI has conducted sting operations in Albany and Newark where several men were charged for trying to obtain or smuggle shoulder-fired missiles into the U.S.

DHS officials noted that there has been no attempts to use these missiles to strike an aircraft inside the U.S., but there have been several incidents overseas.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

A new program signed into law on December 27, 2007, will allow international travelers to register in advance of travel to speed their passage through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.

The government will publish guidelines for the program within about a year. It will be similar to the domestic Registered Traveler program that private contractors operate at U.S. airports.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The Department of Homeland Security is placing anti-missile systems on several passenger planes flying in and out of John F. Kennedy Airport.

The program will test to see if the anti-missile systems are effective in helping prevent a terrorist from using a shoulder-fired missile to shoot down a passenger jet. Three of the anti-missile systems will be placed on American Airlines flights flying between JFK and airports in California, officials said.

Military jets have the equipment and there were recent tests on non-passenger cargo flights.

The anti-missile system are attached underneath the aircraft and have a jamming technology that causes heat seeking missiles to go off course.

The program has been instituted because the FBI has conducted sting operations in Albany and Newark where several men were charged for trying to obtain or smuggle shoulder-fired missiles into the U.S.

DHS officials noted that there has been no attempts to use these missiles to strike an aircraft inside the U.S., but there have been several incidents overseas.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

A new program signed into law on December 27, 2007, will allow international travelers to register in advance of travel to speed their passage through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.

The government will publish guidelines for the program within about a year. It will be similar to the domestic Registered Traveler program that private contractors operate at U.S. airports.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

Passport Update on new Passport Rules From A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors

January 4, 2008

FIRST: New regulations go into effect on January 31st that require all persons entering or re-entering the U.S. to show proof of citizenship. Prior to that date, persons can continue to prove citizenship verbally.

Proof of citizenship can be accomplished by presenting a valid passport, an original or certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate, or an original copy of your certificate of citizenship or naturalization. We recommend a passport because it is the only document that proves both your citizenship and your identity.

SECOND: The Department of State, the agency of the Federal Government that issues passports, issued new rules regarding the new passport card on December 31, 2007. Here is a summary of everything covered in the new regulations. As you will see, there are more rules to be issued in the future telling citizens when and how the State Department will begin issuing passport cards. When and how the State Department will begin issuing the passport cards is not yet known.

1. The State Department will issue passport cards. The official name of the document will be “passport cards.” State will continue to issue “passport books” which up until now we have known as a “passport.”
2. The passport card is valid only for passage through land and sea ports between the U.S. and Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean and Bermuda. The passport card cannot be used for flights into or out of the U.S.
3. The passport card will be issued to citizens in all 50 states but it is exclusively for use for land and sea entrance to the U.S. Passport cards cannot be used for international air travel.
4. Passport cards can be used for identification for domestic flights. Remember: the passport card can be used as government-issued proof of identity and proof of citizenship. So, if you do not have a driver’s license and need identification for passing through security for domestic travel, you can use your passport card for proof of identity instead of presenting your driver’s license.
5. Passport cards have the same validity as passport books – 10 years for adults 16 and over and 5 years for children under 16.
6. Citizens will be able to apply for a passport card at any acceptance agent on the same basis as a regular passport.
7. Passport books must be signed on the signature page by the passport holder to be valid. Passport cards do not have to be signed to be valid.
8. The passport cards will be able to be scanned at U.S. borders when a person is in the vicinity of an electronic reader that will be operated by U.S. border control officials. The chip in the card contains only one item of information – a unique identifying number that has meaning only inside the secure database of the State Department and Homeland Security Department. There is no personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number, etc. stored electronically on the chip. So, if someone did pick up the signal, they would not be able to use the data to learn anything about the holder.
9. The execution fee for applying for a passport card is $25. The execution fee for applying for a passport book is $30.
10. The fees for obtaining a passport card for persons without a passport are as follows:
    • Adults: Total $45 — $20 application fee, plus $25 execution fee
    • Children under 16: Total $35 — $10 application fee, plus $25 execution fee
11. Persons who have a valid passport book (Remember: a “passport book” means a person who has a “passport”) and who are applying for a passport card (in addition to holding a valid passport) are not required to pay the execution fee. Thus, persons with a valid passport who also want a passport card can apply for $20.
12. The government may permit alternative documentation for land crossings such as driver’s licenses issued by states that have established methods for determining citizenship acceptable to the Federal government. Several states have already submitted proposals to the Federal government. This matter will be addressed in subsequent regulations issued by the Federal government.

We’ll keep you posted.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

Arthur Frommer, who writes the Frommers travel books published his New Year’s resolutions for 2008 and we found it very interesting. We add a few ourselves to suggest tips to make travel easier.

Frommer’s resolutions:

1) I will limit myself to carry-ons, and never check a single bag;

2) I will carry sandwiches from home, and never bite into a single airline snack;

3) I will use public transportation from airport into town;

4) I will never book a connecting flight; if there’s no non-stop to my destination, I won’t go there (with some exceptions);

5) I will share courses with my wife, ordering a single main plate for the two of us;

6) I will stop patronizing “duty-free” shops;

7) I will never book an uncomfortable “boutique hotel” designed by a famous fashionista;

I will never use a credit card that doesn’t earn frequent flyer mileage;

9) I will never board a cruise ship carrying more than 700 passengers;

and 10) I will remain calm and unperturbed by refusing to read the travel section of the New York Times

And here are the New Year’s resolutions from A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors:

1) I will check the website of every airport before going there to depart or transit to obtain information about parking, wait times, food options, Wifi availability, amenities such as massages, spas, shopping, etc.

2) Park as close to airports as possible (and pay extra for the privilege) so I don’t have to wait on buses to take me to my car.

3) secure my boarding pass 24 hours in advance of my departure.

4) Mark my bag (that looks like someone else’s bag) with distinct bright yellow or orange colors, so someone doesn’t pick up my bag by mistake at the baggage claim area.

5) Check the public transportation status in cities to which I am traveling to ensure there are no strikes or other activities that make getting around difficult at my destination.

6) Join one of the services that allows me to go the front of the line at the security clearance.

7) Renew your passport six months before it expires.

Apply for one of the new passport cards that you can use to cross the land borders to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. You may not need it but if you lose your passport, you’re covered.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

If you want to carry extra lithium batteries on a flight, don’t pack them in your checked luggage. You can take them in your carry-on luggage, but each battery must be placed in a separate resealable platic bag or the original package.

If you have lithium in your camera, cell phone, laptop, etc., you can leave them in the device and that is allowed.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

The State Department will soon begin issuing passport cards equipped with electronic data chips to U.S. citizens who travel frequently between the United States and Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.

The $45 card will be optional and cannot be used for air travel. The chip will contain a unique identifying number linked to information in a secure government database but not to names, Social Security numbers or other personal information. It will also come with a protective sleeve to guard against hackers trying to skim data wirelessly.

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.

We trust you have heard about the registered traveler program. The idea of this program is that participants pay $99.99 and get limited security clearance — the federal government checks to verify your name is not on any terrorist watch list, and then you get an I.D. card that you use to go to the head of the line at the security checkpoint at participating airports listed below. More airports are considering participating and we expect many more to do so as the program gathers speed.

80,000 travelers have signed up as members. If you travel out of any of the airports below with any regularity, we recommend signing up. The I.D. members are given includes their finger prints and iris scanned onto the card. The only problem with the card is that it is not accepted by the Transportation Security Administration — but it will get you to the head of the line. Members still have to show their driver’s license or passport when going through security checkpoint at airports.

The system is evolving and we expect it to improve its operation and add more airports, but long term we think its main use for members will be to avoid waiting in lines at airport check points. The participating airports and airport terminals at this time include the following:

Air France (operating out of Terminal 1 at JFK);
AirTran Airways (operating out of the Central Terminal at LGA);
Albany International Airport (ALB);
British Airways (operating out of Terminal 7 at JFK);
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG);
Indianapolis International Airport (IND);
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX);
Little Rock National Airport (LIT);
Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC);
Orlando International Airport (MCO);
Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO);
San Francisco International Airport (SFO);
Virgin Atlantic (operating out of Terminal B at EWR);
Virgin Atlantic (operating out of Terminal 4 at JFK); and
Westchester County Airport (HPN).

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Planning a trip? Is your passport up to date? Click here to order a Passport.